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Propaganda Parodies & Their Impact

The meaning of propaganda has changed over time. From stone tablets, to posters, to multimedia, it has always been an important way of communicating a message. The goal of propaganda is to provide a message to an audience in order to promote a certain view. Likewise, propaganda has been used for war, social campaigns, and promoting political ideologies. Today, in an increasingly interconnected world, the Internet has come to play an important role in the spread of information. With so much information at one’s disposal, pop culture and its influence has grown. Parodies are meant to pick up on cues and process prior knowledge from viewers to generate a reaction. The Internet has become a place where the creation of parodies has blossomed. Propaganda parodies are becoming increasingly more prevalent as people mix old propaganda posters with newer references such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Corporations and brands, such as M&Ms, have also emulated propaganda posters, as a marketing strategy. Political figures like Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders are depicted in propaganda parody posters fashioned by supporters, which can later become associated with the official campaigns. The creation of propaganda parodies has changed the way that propaganda is depicted and transmitted, and has been greatly influenced by pop culture references, brands and politics.

Many propaganda parodies have been created in the last ten years with pop culture references, especially movies. References to The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Star Wars have all been prevalent, as they have large fan bases. The creation of fan culture has given rise to fan art. Some fan art has been influenced by propaganda. Old propaganda posters have been adapted to include pop culture references. For example, one poster utilized the background and pose from the “We Want You” poster in the 1940s. The artist added Gandalf with the phrase “You Shall Not Pass”, a common phrase utilized by Lord of the Rings fans (Deviantart). The Lord of the Rings movies are frequently utilized for parodies because the franchise has a large fan base. By making propaganda parodies, Lord of the Rings fans are effectively adapting government posters into posters that represent their views. Taking stock from historical propaganda posters, Lord of the Rings parodies change the original poster’s intent, while still showing glimpses of the old posters. Besides Lord of the Rings, other franchises, particularly Star Wars, have adapted propaganda posters that have been influenced by historical propaganda posters.

Since the 1970s, Star Wars has become one of the most widespread and well-known fan cultures. Supporters the world over dress up as characters, use Star Wars lingo, and create art that depicts Star Wars’ themes. With similarities to world history, the Galactic Empire was a militarized society that utilized propaganda. As a result, parody examples include recruitment posters and ideological posters (representing the Galactic Empire or Rebel Alliance). One particular example of a recruitment poster is from “Star Wars Rebels”, a television show. The poster was created for show, but was influenced by a Canadian recruitment poster from the 1940s titled “If the Cap Fits, Wear It!” (Toronto Public Library). The adapted poster reads: “If the Headgear Fits, Wear It!” The poster depicts the logo of the Galactic Empire, along with the different ranks potential recruits could join, which included “officers, stormtroopers, TIE fighter pilots, tank drivers, recon division, and snow troopers/Vader’s first,” (Blackwell). Like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars fans borrow from old propaganda posters to create new ones that fit their mindset. The difference between this and The Lord of the Rings poster is that a television show created this poster, rather than a fan. While pop culture is one form of parody propaganda, brands are also utilized as a form of propaganda.

In our capitalist society, brands and products are frequently thrown at the public, persuading them to buy their products, become loyal to a brand, or to utilize their services. Advertisements by companies sometimes incorporate propaganda poster themes into their ad campaigns. The M&M Election campaign from 2008 is a good example of this. In Australia and New Zealand, an ad campaign was created in 2008 to promote which M&M was the best one (collectingcandy.com). In particular, the poster for the red M&M (“The Redolution is Now!”) was influenced heavily from Soviet propaganda. With a red background and patriotic stance, the red M&M is firmly Soviet-inspired. Advertisements can take inspiration from historical propaganda, and the creation of propaganda parodies is in line with their way of thinking. This is because the goal of both advertisements and propaganda is to convince someone why their ideology or product is superior. Advertisements are propaganda in their own right, with intentions of selling a product, brand or service rather than convincing someone to ascribe to a particular ideology or creed. The M&M example shows that not only can fans and media outlets create propaganda parodies, but companies can too. Similarly, political campaigns and their candidates can be influenced by past propaganda, who in turn create parodies that uphold their beliefs.

During election cycles, supporters of both sides have created propaganda parody posters that represent their views. Showing the candidate at their best and strongest, propaganda parodies can sometimes become associated with political campaigns, like the Obama “Hope” poster, even if it was not the artist’s intent. The 2016 presidential election was particularly heated, with propaganda campaigns out in force supporting their candidates. One candidate that received a great deal of attention was Bernie Sanders. A relative unknown to the American public, Sanders championed the voices of millennials and the disenfranchised with his claims that he would hold the ‘billionaire class’ responsible. He also promoted his Democratic Socialist ideology, which set him apart from other Democratic candidates. A propaganda parody of a Lenin poster arose on Reddit during the 2016 campaign which read: “Comrade Sanders Cleanses the Earth from Scum!” (Reddit). Emulating “Comrade Lenin Cleanses the Earth from Filth!”, a 1920s Soviet poster and depicting Lenin sweeping away clergymen, politicians and businessmen, this poster had a similar message. Bernie Sanders sought to bring change to the American political sphere. Focusing on issues such as free university education and universal healthcare, Bernie Sanders sought to cater to the disenfranchised. The poster depicts Bernie Sanders wiping the corrupt away in order to start over and provide new opportunities to Americans. This poster makes a historical comparison to Soviet propaganda, and it conveys a message for change. Modern political parodies, like pop culture and corporate parodies, are heavily influenced by historical propaganda posters, while also having their own contexts.

All four posters share a good deal in common. “You Shall Not Pass” and “If the Headgear Fits, Wear It!” are both influenced by World War II posters from the United States and Canada. Both posters also cite pop culture references associated with these franchises, such as Gandalf’s quotes or Star Wars headgear. Likewise, “The Redolution is Now!” and “Comrade Sanders Cleanses the Earth from Scum!” are both inspired by Soviet propaganda posters. “You Shall Not Pass” and “Comrade Sanders Cleanses the Earth from Scum” were both created by independent artists, while “If the Headgear Fits, Wear It!” and “The Redolution is Now!” were both created by official sources (Star Wars Rebels TV show and Mars Inc.). This spectrum is significant, as today propaganda parodies are created by both fans and independent artists as well as companies and media sources.

Propaganda parodies are being created today for personal enjoyment, the incorporation of pop culture references, advertisement campaigns and conveying political views. With the introduction of the Internet, the spread of propaganda parodies has increased remarkably. The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars franchises already had large fan bases before the Internet. But with the release of The Lord of the Rings movies and the Star Wars prequels, they helped to contribute to pop culture and the creation of fan art that spread across the Internet. Corporate campaigns such as by Mars Inc. showed that propaganda parodies are prevalent in today’s advertisements, while taking cues from historical propaganda posters. In the political sphere, political parties in the United States frequently invoke historical names, such as JFK or Reagan. For supporters or opponents of candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, propaganda parodies are used as ways to showcase their views. Today, the creation of propaganda parodies has changed the way that propaganda is depicted and transmitted, and has been greatly influenced by pop culture references, corporations and politics.